Described herein are compositions useful, for example, to attract the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), Halyomorpha halys. The compositions may contain various combinations of cis and/or trans stereoisomers of 10,11-epoxy-1-bisabolen-3-ol produced from (R)-citronellal, and/or cis and/or trans stereoisomers of 10,11-epoxy-1-bisabolen-3-ol produced from (S)-citronellal as described herein. These compositions contain two major components of the aggregation pheromone of Halyomorpha halys: (3S,6S,7R,10S)-10,11-epoxy-1-bisabolen-3-ol (1) and (3R,6S,7R,10S)-10,11-epoxy-1-bisabolen-3-ol (3) also described herein. Furthermore, also described are methods for attracting Halyomorpha halys to an object or area, involving treating the object or area with a Halyomorpha halys attracting composition containing a Halyomorpha halys attracting effective amount of the compositions described herein. Also described are kits for attracting Halyomorpha halys where the kit may contain (a) a first attractant containing the compositions described herein on a first carrier and (b) a second attractant containing methyl (2E,4E,6Z)-decatrieonate on a second carrier or on said first carrier.
The brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (BMSB), is an invasive pest species from Asia and is now well established throughout the U.S. mid-Atlantic region. BMSB has been officially detected by responsible authorities in 39 states and the District of Columbia. BMSB is considered a polyphagous pest of many specialty crops in Asia and the United States including tree fruit, vegetables, shade trees, and row crops with significant economic damage reported in the United States (Leskey, T. C., et al., Pest Status of the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål), in the USA, Outlooks on Pest Management, DOI: 10.1564/23oct07 (2012a); Leskey T. C., et al., Impact of the invasive brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål) in mid-Atlantic tree fruit orchards in the United States: case studies of commercial management, Psyche, doi:10.1155/2012/535062 (2012b)).
Stink bugs native to North America have long been managed with broad-spectrum insecticides. However, since the passage of the Food Quality Protection Act in 1996 many broad-spectrum materials have been lost or severely curtailed through regulatory measures, thus allowing populations of native stink bugs, considered to be secondary pests, to become more prevalent. Subsequently, as BMSB has become well established, populations have exerted tremendous season-long and unprecedented pest pressure complicating management for growers and leading to devastating levels of injury in many crops (Leskey et al. 2012 a, b)
Monitoring tools are used to assess the presence, abundance, and seasonal activity of pests and their natural enemies to determine the need for and the timing of insecticide applications. Stink bug species are typically monitored in cropping systems using sweep nets, beating samples, pheromone-baited traps and/or black light traps. Among native stink bugs in tree fruit, baited yellow pyramid traps and baited mullein plants were effective at monitoring native Euschistus spp., while Acrosternum hilare was monitored in vegetable and row crops using black light traps (Leskey, T. C., and H. W. Hogmire, J. Econ. Entomol., 98: 143-153 (2005); Hogmire, H. W., and T. C. Leskey, J. Entomol. Sci. 41: 9-21 (2006); Krupke, C. H., et al., J. Econ. Entomol., 94: 1500-1505 (2001); Kamming a, K. L., et al., Environ. Entomol., 38: 1716-1723 (2009)). Black light traps have been evaluated for BMSB in Japan and in New Jersey (Moriya, S., et al., Bull. Fruit Tree Res. Stn. 14: 79-84 (1987); Nielsen, A. L., and G. C. Hamilton, Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am., 102: 608-616 (2009)).
The aggregation pheromone of Plautia stali Scott, methyl (2E,4E,6Z)-decatrienoate, is cross-attractive to BMSB (Sugie, H., et al., Appl. Entomol. Zool., 31: 427-431 (1996); Lee, K.-C., et al., Korean J. Appl. Entomol. Zool., 41: 233-238 (2002); Tada, N., et al., Ann. Rep. Plant Prot., 52: 224-226 (2001a); Tada, N., et al., Ann. Rep. Plant Prot., 52: 227-229 (2001b); Aldrich, J. R., et al., J. Chem. Ecol., 33: 801-815 (2007); Khrimian, A., et al., J. Ag. and Food Chemistry, 56: 197-203 (2008)). Adults are reliably attracted late in the season but extensive early-season trials revealed this compound was not by itself attractive ((Khrimian et al. 2008; Leskey T. C., et al., Journal of Entomological Science, 47: 76-85 (2012c)). Because of the significant threat posed by BMSB in the absence of monitoring tools to provide them with information regarding BMSB presence and pressure, growers have turned to aggressive calendar-based insecticide programs to combat BMSB populations. Therefore the need for a season-long attractant for BMSB is critical in order for growers to make informed pest management decisions. Furthermore, such an attractant could be used to develop effective attract-and-kill or other management technologies to limit insecticide inputs into agroecosystems.
Thus there is a need for attractants to provide more reliable and accurate monitoring of BMSB infestations and populations.